On behalf of ACPE, I had the privilege to attend the 2017 Association of Professional Chaplains Annual Conference in Houston, Texas. This year's theme, "The Powerful Voice of Chaplaincy" resonated with me regarding the importance of Gold Standard spiritual care and education. To attend cutting-edge plenary sessions and workshops demonstrated the powerful voice of our profession in research, domestic violence, stories of African-American Women addressing trauma, and spiritual assessment in Palliative Care and end-of-life care. The meeting with senior leadership from our strategic partners on spiritual care (aka cognate groups) reflected a desire to speak with one voice and work together in unison.

Wayne Maberry, Chair of the ACPE Accreditation Commission, Marc Medwed, ACPE Director of Programs, and Trace Haythorn, ACPE Executive Director, traveled to Washington DC last week to meet with the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI), the review board of the Department of Education concerning our 5-year review. Wayne and Marc put together the materials such that there were no questions or comments for review, a remarkable feat!

Last week we received the final confirmation from the Department of Education that we are now recognized through June 2022. Please join us in congratulating Wayne, Marc, and the Accreditation Commission!

What great news of the US Department of Education review committee's unanimous approval of ACPE for an additional 5-year period of recognition! Perhaps you are noticing a theme of "5" this year---not only are we celebrating our 50th Anniversary, but with our DOE recognition renewal, we can continue to be the gold standard for spiritual health and education for the next five years, and for years to come. This is something to celebrate!

The Catholic Health Association Pastoral Care Advisory Committee's (CHA PCAC) Subcommittee on Chaplain Development is planning in the coming months to provide information on spiritual care settings and leading practices being implemented in those settings. We need your help. We need to learn from you what you consider to be your biggest challenges in service and what innovation in service those challenges are calling from you. To that end, would you please provide your responses to this brief survey?

The description of Communities of Practice is now available along with a form to register your group. In August, the Finance Committee will begin building the 2018 budget, so we hope to have a sense of who will be requesting funds. Please let us know if you have questions.

Check-out the 2017 volume of Reflective Practice. This year's theme, "A Soulful Perspective," invites readers to revisit the metaphor of soul and soul care, and wonders what formation and supervision in ministry would be like if we took seriously this understanding of what we do. This volume of Reflective Practice, as with previous volumes, is available free online.

As a new initiative focusing special attention on the professional well-being of our Educators, we are proud to share this unique opportunity to travel together. In late January 2018 (specific dates to be determined), ACPE will be hosting a mission to Israel, a unique country that is home to many religions. This is a voluntary trip that is open to members of ACPE and their spouses/partners/significant others.

The mission will be a 10-day experience designed to foster community, offer opportunities for learning, to engage with one another, to experience the holy sites of Judaism, Christianity and Islam as well as the modern state of Israel, and to have professional opportunities to engage with colleagues in Israel who are in the emerging field of spiritual care with site visits to centers.